Yesterday (July 18), fans noticed that Sheeran deleted his Twitter as vitriol poured in from GOT fans who thought Sheeran didn't belong on the broadcast. But director Jeremy Podeswa, who spearheaded the "Dragonstone" episode, told NewsweekSheeran absolutely belonged on the broadcast, and deserved more respect that he seemed to get.

"I think Ed did a lovely job — he’s a lovely actor and a lovely person,” Podeswa said. “He was appropriate for the part because he needed to sing. If people didn’t know who Ed was, they wouldn’t have thought about it twice. The hoo-ha seems to be from things that are outside of the world of the show. In the world of the show he did a lovely job, and he looks like he belongs in that world."

Podeswa added that people who took the time to fire shots at Sheeran have probably got too much time on their hands.

“I think people interrogated it too much, they're bringing so much of his [superstar] presence into the thing which is far beyond what anybody was thinking going into it," he noted. "[Sheeran] is known to the producers of the show and some of the cast, and he's a gigantic fan of the show. As everybody knows, the show really eschews stunt casting — it's never, ever done that."

Finally, Podeswa added that he doesn't expect Sheeran will let any backlash bother him too much.

“The only thing I don't feel great about is that Ed is such a lovely guy and really genuine and down to earth,” Podeswa said. "He came into this with only lovely intentions to come and do a good job and sing well. So I think that's the only drag.”